France urges restraint after Gaza strikeParis (AFP) Nov 14, 2012 -
Paris on Wednesday urged the Israelis and Palestinians to show restraint after an Israeli air strike killed Hamas military chief Ahmed Jaabari.

"France is extremely concerned by the deterioration in the situation in Gaza and in the south of Israel... (and) calls on both parties to refrain from any escalation of violence," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

Arab foreign minister to meet Saturday on Gaza: Arab LeagueCairo (AFP) Nov 14, 2012 -
The Arab League will convene an emergency meeting of foreign ministers on Saturday to respond to Israeli air strikes in Gaza, the league's deputy chief said.

"The meeting will be convened on Saturday, based on requests from Egypt and Palestine," Ahmed Ben Hilli told AFP.

The league annouced its decision on Wednesday after Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi recalled the ambassador to Israel following air strikes that killed a top Hamas militant and six other people in Gaza.

"We are very concerned about the developments," he told reporters in Riyadh where he met his counterparts in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council for talks focused on Syria.

"It is necessary to end all acts of violence," he added, according to a translation into Arabic.

"It is a shame the Quartet did not manage over the past months ... to meet and come up with a clear stance," he added, referring to the Quartet on Middle East peace efforts that groups Moscow with Washington, the United Nations and European Union.

Jaabari was killed and his bodyguard wounded in an air strike on their car in Gaza City on Wednesday.

The Israeli military said his death marked the start of a military operation against Palestinian armed groups in Gaza, while Hamas's military wing vowed to retaliate and warned the killing had "opened the gates of hell."

Israel killed a top Hamas military commander in a targeted air strike in Gaza on Wednesday, prompting outrage from Palestinian militants who said the Jewish state had opened "the gates of hell."

And Egypt promptly announced it was recalling its ambassador over Israel's hit on a car in Gaza City that killed Ahmed Jaabari and his bodyguard, swiftly followed by more than 20 air strikes in Gaza that killed another five people and wounded 60.

But Israel warned it was only the start of an operation targeting militant groups in Gaza, which comes as the Jewish state prepares for general elections in January.

"Today we sent a clear message to Hamas and other terrorist organisations," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a televised address several hours after the initial strike which took place at around 1400 GMT.

"If it becomes necessary, we are prepared to expand the operation," the Israeli leader warned after holding consultations with his security cabinet. "We will not tolerate a situation in which Israeli citizens are threatened by rocket fire."

"Israel doesn't want a war but the Hamas provocation of recent weeks... forced us to act sharply and decisively," Barak said.

"We are at the beginning, not end of this action," he warned, adding: "It won't be a quick fix."

Following the strike that killed Jaabari and his bodyguard, Israel launched at least 20 raids, killing another five people, including two young children, and wounding at least 60, Hamas health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said.

"We recommend that no Hamas terrorists, low level or senior leaders, show their faces above ground in the days ahead," wrote Netanyahu spokesman Ofir Gendelman on his official Twitter account.

The air strikes capped five days of rising tension in and around Gaza, which saw Israel kill seven Palestinians and militants fire more than 120 rockets over the border, injuring eight.

Jaabari's death sparked furious protests in Gaza City, with hundreds of members of Hamas and its armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, chanting for revenge in and around Shifa hospital where Jaabari's body was taken.

The Israeli army said it had also targeted "a significant number of long-range rocket sites" and was prepared to launch a ground operation if necessary in order to stamp out rocket fire.

"All options are on the table. If necessary, the IDF (army) is ready to initiate a ground operation in Gaza," the military said on its official Twitter account.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said that 55 rockets had been fired at Israel from Gaza in the aftermath of the Gaza City strike and that the level of alert had been raised across the area.

In a separate statement, the military said its vaunted Iron Dome anti-missile system had successfully intercepted 13 of the rockets.

Gaza's Hamas government welcomed the Egyptian move in a statement which also urged Arab leaders "to take decisive action" to push Israel to end its campaign.

And following a request from Morsi, Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said top Arab diplomats were preparing to hold an emergency meeting on Saturday to discuss the violence.

Britain also urged restraint and Russia said it was "very concerned," while Washington said it was watching developments in Gaza "closely."

The strike in Gaza City prompted an outpouring of grief and anger, with armed men firing weapons into the air outside Shifa hospital and mosques throughout the city calling prayers to mourn the commander's death.

The Qassam Brigades, in a furious statement, said Israel had "opened the gates of hell on itself," while Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said the strike was tantamount to a "declaration of war."

"The occupation committed a dangerous crime and crossed all the red lines, which is considered a declaration of war," he said in a statement. "The occupation will pay dearly for this."

Israel's last major operation in Gaza began at the end of December 2008, six weeks shy of general elections, when troops embarked on a 22-day campaign which killed 1,400 Palestinians -- half of them civilians -- and 13 Israelis, 10 of them soldiers.

Egypt recalls Israel ambassador after Gaza raidCairo (AFP) Nov 14, 2012
President Mohamed Morsi on Wednesday recalled Egypt's ambassador to Israel after a series of air strikes in Gaza killed a top Hamas militant and six other Palestinians.
Morsi decided to "recall Egypt's ambassador to Israel," his spokesman Yassir Ali said in a statement broadcast on state television.
He also ordered the foreign ministry to summon Israel's ambassador in Cairo and asked the ... read more

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